Dec. I, 1893.3 tiik TROHCAL 
AGRICULTtJRisT. 
Hcoktr's Botany will ineke cli ar. He says: — 
" Hybrids are ihe rsfu't of the ovules of one specie! 
having been fertilised ly the p I'c-n of atoMicr. They 
are called mules, and tire r.'ite in mitnre but easily 
produce J by ar'. Many gro.v rapiUy ,and flower 
copi usl*", but do not fertilise th.tir ovules, owing to 
the imperfection of these or of thiir pollen ; hence then 
rarely rii'Cii iced. Ou tie other ha'id. they often pro- 
duce seed uhundantly v:licn fertilised hy the pollen of 
one of their parents:' Tlic itolics in the aDove are 
mine, and I thiuk platters would do well to t^ks Lote 
of it. It is clear fiom tlie nVove that hybrids to te 
a success mnft be intermiujled with e ther Arabi in 
or LiberiHD Cotlee— ;'. e., one of their p.'ircDts — so as 
to facilittte their flowers being fertilised by the pollen 
o? the latter. Furthermore their success will also I e 
conditional on their fl iweiing nt the tame titue as 
at lejst one of the latter. — 2\'ilgiri JS'ctcs. 
♦ 
MOTHER-OF-PEARL AND SHELLS. 
The Jfoiiitevr OJficicl dn Commerce publiihes the 
followiuR; acconnt of the Javau trade in mother-of- 
piarl and shillj taken from a recent report of the 
French Consul at Bat ivi i :— MB08s^ar appears to be 
the point wbere the products of ih'i region iiitended 
fcr export ore centred. The following is the remit 
of the maiktt ot this ))I8C'3 for iha year 1893, as re- 
gerds motber-of- pearl and slieils : — The Aroe mtther- 
of-pcarl (\shery wi.s very satisfactory; the proJuct 
placed on the Macaflssr morliet in 1892 was abi ut 
2,000 piculs (picuI=about 133 1-3 b.) Tue iirst 
arrivih were lapidly sold, and about 1.200 piculs 
were cleared at prices varyirg letwe^n 109 aod 125 
florins per picul. Thtse j r.ces are considered on 
the market ai very liigh. Towards the end of ti e 
season the inioes fe'l end tfe la t niotber-of-p( art 
fhclls from Aroe anivinij on the marbef', about SCO 
piculs, rta'ised »n avirago price of lOJ florii.s per 
pioul. During the final Konlhs of 1802 the Aroe 
itl»iids were charart rieed by disturb n es on the 
part of native and Chinese coolies, and the inc-eise 
in price of the rco'.her-of pearl 6h''!ls is partly at- 
tribnted to this eveiit. Thera is still some agitation 
in the Aroe iilaud-', the fishermen only venturing 
with caution into thfse parts, and it is anticipated 
in roiis°quoace that the Aroe mo'her-of-pearl will 
be scarce on the Macassar market this s(a'(on; prices 
are therefore, txpeclcl to rule still highnr. The 
Brgoi shells have ar ived on the Macassar market 
in BufBcient <iuantity to ea'iefy all demands. Shells 
from this region of large cr average dimensions 
are sold ali from 21Q. to 25'50fl. per picul. For 
those of fmall dimensions the price has viriei 
between 191. and 22 id per picule. The Bingai and 
Ceran shells have r^alis d an average price of 75fl. 
per p'.cul. The other shells which are Fold at 
Maca gar are those which come from Floreeso 
Banda; tbey are in less demand ; and their value has 
consequently decrease 1 fr?m 30fl. to 19fl. per picul. 
Tho principal markets for the mother-of-pearl and 
ihe various shel s employed in Earopcsn industry are 
found in the large comni' reial towns of the Nether- 
lands and Belgium. It ia there that the European 
ptioes are at present fixed, but an attempt has alreidy 
beoa made by the Americans to take this market 
into certain towns in the United Stites. The exports 
from Macassar g3 dirc:t from that port to the port 
of destinition, when the cxporier his enough to 
entirely till up a vei£e\ if net the goods are gor erally 
61 nt to yiugapcre so as to bo r:-coasigucd, after 
trauBLipmeat to the port of final doslinvtion. 
♦ 
NOTES ON TROitUCE AND FINANCE. 
Tea and tuk Water Suri'i-iKS.— Tho ques'.ion of 
the water supply and tho part it plays in ths devc- 
lopmont of the flavour of tea is i,ot lost sight of 
by tho lar^e to\ dealers. The right sort of tea to 
fuit the water in any partioul >r district is ca-efully 
studied by many dealers, who have cxp riraonted with 
much pat'cnco in tliis direction. Jast at present 
Dublin is in a vc-y bad statu bs regards iu wnt.r 
9"PP'7i brewers, diUillere. aud tea dealera aru 
ratLer exercised about the threatened water fami no. 
Cacoar PlantersDine TooETiiiiR, — Another father- 
ing in Loudon oftta ploniers is liliely to become an 
iinoual affair. From particulars which have been 
commuoioated to us, and Rhich appear in another 
coluoiii, ii will will be seen that a number of Oachar 
plautcrs dined together on October 12'b, and it ia 
proposed to make this an annual dinner. We Ehall 
then h»vo nn Assam, a Ceylon, and a Cachar Atinnal 
Dinner t ikirg place in Lon^lon, which says something 
for the imp rtinoe of the tea industry as well as for 
the fes'ive difposition of those engaged in it. 
The Coffee Market.— This market continues ex- 
tremely firm, with ap^recialiog values for near'y all 
variaiii s, Oobry kinds are now scarce and in non. 
8iderab!e request and command a high figure. The 
better tiaJe demand which usually sets in at this 
time of the year is now thovving itself, atcl as supplies 
just at present are very moderate, there is keen com- 
petitiou for all dts'rable lots. Th(re has also been a 
confiderablo specula' ive business in the Term markets, 
the coniiiuel unsettbid position in Brazil, which 
prevents the distribution of arrivals from the interior 
and the moderate da ly receipts, iLdnciug large opera- 
tions for a rise. Quotations at the c'ose show an 
advance of fully 23 per cwt, for all positione. — H. and 
C. JMl, Oct. 27. 
« 
THE PROSPECTS OF CINCHONA BAEX. 
We call attention to the letter of Cheva'icr 
Sobmidt on page 365. We can only refer 
him and tho Java planters generally, to (he re- 
view of the preEent position of our cinohona in- 
dustry and the profp^cts of bark generally given 
in our "Handbcokand Directory " juet published. 
Against an export last year of 6| million lb., 
we do njt expect to see more tban 4 million 
shipped for 1^93— if so mueih. Up to the 6tti 
inst. the t.tal ia only 3,131,982 lb., and unless 
prices improve, there may be no additions for some 
weeks. For next year, we ventured to say that 
the total export would not exceed 3 million lb., but 
even that may be too high if the market keep 
as depiessed as it is at present. Should prices 
on the other hand improve, 3 or even 4 raillioa 
lb. of bark might be oollectel and shipped fr^m 
Ceylon. The acreage now under cinchona in this 
island is quite insignificant, and South America 
— rather than India or Ceylon — should be con- 
sidered by Java as the only rival source ot supply 
of special importance. 
. — o 
NEAVS FROM THE CENTRAL PROVINCE 
PLANTING AND OTHERWISE. 
(Notes hi/ Wanderer.) 
9th Nov. 
Weather exactly what is wanted, and the rains 
have done good to tea and cacao. We don't worry 
much about weather for coifee on the Kandy side 
of the Nuwara Eliya range. 
Cacao. — It is quite wonderful to note the growth 
of wood. If the rains of the N.-E. monsoon don't 
continue too long we will have good cacao blossoms 
for Spring. Still the general opinion is that the 
Autumn crop of 1894 will pull up the crop returns 
for next season. 2.'),;J38 cwt. to 6tb November 
against 15,237 cwt. to same date in 1892, means a 
large addition to stocks of Ceylon cocoa, and 
there is little doubt we shall send away 28,000 cwt. 
by the end of 189:!. The stock of cocoa at 
home is 5,003 packages more than it was at 
same date last year. That abominable Guayaquil 
received 12,001) quintals in the first fortnight in 
October as against 8,1'?0 iu tho corresponding fort- 
night of last year. However, a rise of a few siiillings 
took place lately and tho market was acquainted 
with all the foregoing facts. 
Tea.— Wo have shipped 69,180,()01 lb. to (ith Nov- 
ember. So if we hftvo autligieut ahippiuK we 8h»U 
